Get Everything Done

Mac Users:

http://www.potionfactory.com/thehitlist/

Looks like I am moving my Circa Notebook back to note-taking-only mode. I obtained The Hit List with the Macheist 3 bundle, and I am very impressed with it. I was a user of Omnifocus and Things, but getting an Autofocus implementation out of either was proving very difficult (for me at least).

Here are some screenshots of The Hit List in action:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7925615@N07/sets/72157617102931353/

This program is very keyboard-friendly. I don't like to touch the mouse unless absolutely necessary, and the program facilitates this. It supports drag and drop from Mail.app, and has a great quick-entry window. It's very easy to bounce back and forth from Project Lists to my active pages with a few keystrokes.

The Hit List is still in Beta, and I'm looking forward to the next revision (I currently am using the "due" date for the completion date of a task). Also, the Potion Factory promises an iPhone version soon - an absolute must in my case if I want to use this for my home AF list.

Thanks for posting your set-up. I too have been impressed by The Hit List and have been running it as a back-up to my paper Circa notebook. When the developer comes out with the iPhone app, I may dive in and let go of the paper version.

I found the Hit List about the same time I found AF. I thought the program looked like a panacea and used it for a few days with great pleasure. I still haven't figured out how to use it with AF.

Do you actually work your lists off the computer screen?
How do you set up "pages" in The Hit List?

Please keep us up to date on how you like your system!

Another electionic Holy Grail that will disappoint.

I find that sticking with one method trumps most of the energy trying the shiny stuff. And in one way or another it comes back to paper.

JMO.

Norman, I agree that trying to find the one program that will change your life is a lost cause. However, I don't agree that paper works best for everyone. As long as you spend more time getting things done than you do entering tasks into the system, it's a non-issue. Years ago I went to great lengths to get the paper approach to work for me. I actually wore a tool apron so I could carry my notebook everywhere. Otherwise, I was constantly misplacing it and my pen. It worked to a certain extent but I felt like such a moron whenever I answered the door with my Home Depot apron on. lol Better to use an IPhone and keep my dignity. ;-)

Good luck. I just think AF is antithetical to electronic systems.

Norman makes a good point that the "shiny stuff" takes a lot of energy to set up and then it turns out a notebook was better in the first place! But I must say, THL's interface is the smartest, most flexible I have ever seen. I swear, it is as easy to use as a notebook but with all of the benefits that computers bring (different views, searching, due date reminders, syncing with calendars, etc). And unlike other programs, it has not gotten in the way of anything I have wanted to do so far.

I've taken to using it to manage projects and tasks with due dates, and am toying with the idea of using it for AF because I dislike writing tasks down in two different places, and most of my work tasks are computer-based anyway.

I already had separate folders for each project, each with a few lists and tasks inside. I didn't want to lose my project lists, so I simply started tagging each task with page numbers (af1, af2, and so on). Then I created a smart folder for each page tag, grouped under an "Autofocus" folder. That was it - it's dead simple.

It turns out that the smart folder view groups tasks by the list they are in originally, which I happen to like. When I choose a task to work on, it pops up in a floating window where I can track the time spent on the task.

There are a million other great things about this program, but I've written enough as it is. I hope I don't sound like an ad :-)

The only thing holding me back from replacing my notebook is the lack of an iPod app for this (it's on its way though...). I really dislike having to keep the computer on just to see my tasks. That, and I love the feel of notebooks...

Just a note. After my last post, I discovered the idea of "tag bundles" in The Hit List. In the tag view, you can create a tag bundle called "autofocus" and a sub-bundle called "dismissed" and there is no need to make the smart folders I was talking about. Added bonus, the view is less distracting than the list view.

Once the IPhone / iPod version is released, THL will go the way of Things. Dollars to doughnuts.

Just curious why you think that, Norman :-)

I am really quite picky about electronic to-do lists (I have never had one I could stick with for very long), so I understand your skepticism!

After three weeks on using a paper version of AutoFocus (to grasp how it works), I'm also now using The Hit List. It works wonderfully, and I strictly apply the AutoFocus method with it. There is one item in one list that tells me to document it and post on my blog about it, but I haven't done it yet ;-) I'll certainly post a link when I'll have done it.

To those using the Hit List (which I have and like in concept): do you actually work from your lists on the computer? Or do you print out and work from a paper list?

I work on it on the computer. But my job involves working on a computer all day long, so it's not a constraint.

ds - I have been working from the computer.

For work, this is very convenient - better than my notebook, even. Practically everything I do is on the computer so looking at the list or adding to it barely involves a context switch. It's less convenient for tasks I do away from the computer, like cleaning my house. If the iPhone app turns out ok, I might just permanently replace the notebook.

Hi Just to say I have tried to copy and past palletgurru method about the HIT LIST on Omnifocus and I am testing it. Seems to be working.

and what's kill me is that in comments you can drag a folder directly wich can be use as a shorcut.

Then Omnifocus just open a new window including all your tasks. So you can work on your project & use context use autofocus simoutanously !!!!

Jupiter